MADEXXXX
A R E YO U A
Good
CO M M U N I C ATO R ?
MADE BY JASMINE BROWLEY
Whether you are working to climb the
corporate ladder or establish a business
of your own, being a good communica-
tor is integral to attaining success at any
juncture of life. But how can you determine
if you’re good at it? Here are 17 questions that can help you
pinpoint whether you’re a #boss at
communicating—or in need of a bit more
work. If it’s the latter, don’t fret, there are
simple ways to improve your messaging
skills.
1. Are you truly conveying a message?
People are inundated with information
every day. Make sure you’re first crystal
clear WITH YOURSELF about what it is you
want to communicate— be it overall brand
messaging or a minute detail in one email—
before attempting to reach out to someone
else. (And remember, if you can’t boil your
message down in a sentence, chances are,
it’s not clear.) 4. Are you using an active voice?
Active voice helps to drive forward calls to
action and puts you at the center of it. It’s
concise—and more impressive. Consider
the difference between “The strategy was
created by me earlier this week when I
identified the problem,” and “I solved a
problem by creating a strategy.”
2. Do you utilize effective storytelling?
Stories are an intriguing way to draw people
into your message on an emotional level—
and they make you more memorable. No
matter the task, try and find a story that
reinforces your narrative to help really drive
your point home.
3. Do you use numbers?
If telling a story doesn’t seem to fully
convey your point, consider using
quantitative data. It’s an effective way to
illustrate your stance. Also, think through
some ways to make those statistics
ring in the minds of the people you’re
communicating with.
5. Are your messages jargon-y?
There are some workplace terms used to
simplify things—for instance if you refer to
certain duties with abbreviations. If it works
and everyone understands, have at it. But
jargon risks alienating, or at least irking
people. So, keep “moving the needle” on
your own time.
6. Do you love clichés?
Have you ever read that someone is
“drinking the kool-aid” or or something is
“low hanging fruit” and gave a strong side-
eye as a result? That’s what happens when
someone overuses cliches. We’re so used
to seeing and hearing these they don’t have
any real impact anymore.
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